Traditional culture serves as a music-therapeutic tool, helping communities cope with grief and emotions. In Russian folklore, unique “laments” express feelings of sorrow. This presentation will explore the characteristics of the psycho-physical state of individuals experiencing grief, the structure of traditional laments, their impact on emotional well-being, and the possibilities for the contemporary application of these techniques. Participants will receive practical insights, examples, and musical illustrations for working with clients. The importance of therapist safety and group support during therapy will also be discussed.
The traditional culture of any country essentially serves as a music-therapeutic and psychological tool, enabling communities to navigate grief and the emotions of their everyday lives and stories. In Russian folklore, a unique number of “laments” has been preserved— a special musical genre in which the emotions of a grieving person are expressed through a song. Laments traditionally accompanied all rites of passage (such as weddings, funerals, military enlistment ceremonies, childbirth, etc.), often alongside spiritual verses (folk songs on spiritual themes).
This presentation aims to clarify the following:
– The characteristics of the psycho-physical state of individuals experiencing grief, trauma, or PTSD.
– The structure of traditional laments, including their physiological, improvisational, and musical attributes.
– The impact of lamenting and singing practices on the state of a grieving person (working with the diaphragm, repetitive movements, rising and breaking intonations).
– The possibilities for contemporary use of traditional lament techniques even without immersion in the corresponding cultural context.
– The process of employing these techniques in both individual and group work, online and offline.
– Some indicators of potential client states following lamenting; a possible framework for group and individual work.
– The relevance of using vocal music therapy in today’s historical context.
My goal is to share practical insights, case studies, and musical examples with the participants while also explaining the structure of this genre’s functioning. This will enable music therapists participating in the workshop to reproduce this technique using their cultural material and to improvise according to their clients’ situations. I would also like to address the importance of therapist safety during therapy, including professional boundaries and limits, as well as the role and significance of group support for both therapists and clients.
1. Individual and Group Music Therapy Experiences:
Provide individual and group music therapy experiences to address client’s ability to empathize, abuse and trauma, living through grief and loss, depression; also including respiratory function, body involving and stress management.
2. Understand Group Dynamics:
– Gain insights into group dynamics and processes to enhance therapeutic interactions and outcomes.
3. Theoretical Frameworks:
– Recognize how various theoretical frameworks, particularly in neuroscience and psychodynamics, inform and enhance music therapy practices.
4. Improvisation Skills:
– Develop improvisational skills using voice, breathing, and movement, while incorporating specific musical techniques from diverse cultures and historical eras.
5. Access for a Patient to the Information:
patient access to the information on a “need to know” basis to ensure appropriate facilitation.
